Rail-fastening means.



' Patented Nov. 19, L`1918.

FFEQE. I

MICHAEL REEDY, 0F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

RAIL-FASTENIN G MEANS.

Speotsation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, i918.

Application ledMarch 4, 1918. Serial No. 220.230.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL REEDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Fastening Means, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention has to do with the attachment of railway rails to sleepers through the medium of spikes, screw bolts, and the like; and it contemplates the provision of a spike-facing ohafing plate in combination and for use in conjunction with a spike and a rail base secured in position by the spike, the said plate being adapted for interposition between the rail-base edge and the shank and head of the spike or bolt, and for embedment in the sleeper to which it is secured, and being designed to hold the underside of the spike head or aw in spaced relation to the upper side of the rail base so that a claw bar may be readily positioned between the two for withdrawal of the spike or bolt, and being also designed to assist the spike in resisting lateral thrust and better holding the rail to gage as well as prevent the rail base from cutting the throat of the spike or bolt and giving rise to accident.

The spike or bolt together with the chafing plate may be used either with or without a tie-plate, in the discretion of the builder, and with the foregoing in mind, the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read in connection with the accompanying drawings, hereby made a part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, illustrative of my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, taken at right angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of my novel chafing plate, per se.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the views of the drawings.

The sleeper or tie 1, the rail 2 and the spike or bolt 3 may be and preferably are of the ordinary well-known types, and when deemed expedient the usual tie-plate (not shown) may be interposed between the sleeper or tie and the rail, without affecting my invention.

I My novel chaing plate 4 is made of steel or zother material suitable to its purpose,

and is of approximate right-angle form. it comprises an upper arm 5 and a shank 6 depending from said arm, the shank being beveled or sharpened at its lower end, as indicated by 7, to facilitate driving of the plate into the sleeper or tie to secure the plate in working position, Figs. 1 and 2. l prefer to make the cliaing plate of greater width than the spike shank in about the proportion shown in Fig. 2 with a view to enabling the plate to better assist the spike in resisting lateral thrust.

rlhe novel chafing plate l is driven into the sleeper or tie so that it is secured in position with its shank resting against the edge of the rail base, and its head or arm 5 resting snug against and over said base. The spike or bolt is then driven home, alongside and close against the shank portion of the plate, when as will be readily observed by reference to Fig. 1, the apex of the plate will rest between the corner of the rail base and the throat of the spike to adequately prevent the base from cutting the throat of the spike, and at the same time, the underside of the jaw or head of the spike will be held away from the rail base so that a space will be alforded between the two, as indicated by 8 in Fig. 1, so that a claw bar or the like may be readily interposed between the rail base and the spike jaw or head for the convenient withdrawal of the spike. It will also be noted that the plate 4 is calculated to enable the spike or bolt to better resist lateral thrust with a View to maintaining the rail and the tie plate, when employed, in place and gage.

Manifestly my novel chaing plate is simple and inexpensive and is adapted to be readily secured in position precedent to the driving of the spike or coincident therewith, if desired, and therefore the employment of the plate does not materially increase the cost of securing the rail to the sleeper or tie. It will be noticed, however, in this connection that the capacity of the chafing plate to be driven home by hammer blows imposed on the head of the spike is calculated to materially cheapen the fastening of the rail when the chafing plate is employed in combination with the sleeper or tie, the rail and the spike. l

Having described my invention, what I claim aenddesire to seeurewby- Lettere. Pntend of. the shank and adapted torest on ent, is: and overhang the edge portion of a rail As a new article of manufacture, zt chefbase. ing plate of substantial right-angle form In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 5 having a shank straight throughout its, my` hand in presence of two subscribing 15 length and terminating in a sharpened lower witnesses.

endfrdspoeeddnrthe sanienlane a s the,.,re e MICHAEL REEDY. mainder'of the shank whereby it is adapted Witnesses: to be driven into a sleeper or tien-nd also JAS'. C; ADLER,

m having an arm extending from the upper JOHN HENCKEL.

Gopiesxl of', this patentfmay/be obtained for time` cents cechiv byV addrezsingftke 'Oommisslonen of Piatentl.

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